France and Uruguay are the first ones to battle it out for a spot in the Semis.

Mbappe and Cavani are the two danger man to look for at the Nizhny Novograd stadium tonight

The FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter-final are here. After what has been a truly exciting Round of 16, eight teams remain in the competition. In the first match of the final eight, 1998 champions France take on two-time World Cup winners Uruguay at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium tonight. Both France and Uruguay stepped up when time came as they outclassed their Round of 16 opponents, Argentina and Portugal respectively. France who returned from 1-2 to beat Lionel Messi and his men, 4-3 set the tempo to what was a roller coaster of a FIFA World Cup knockout stage. Uruguay on the other hand played the patient game as they saw off every Portuguese challenge to qualify for the quarter finals. Let’s take a look at how the two teams line up before we make our FIFA World Cup 2018 quarterfinal predictions:

FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-Final: Uruguay vs France

A lot of people expected France and Argentina to play a very cagey game with neither teams showing much flair in the group stages. France were unimpressive in their three group games but looked a whole new side against Argentina. The young brigade who were hyped so much in the days leading to the tournament finally showed what they were capable of. After falling 1-2 behind at the start of the second half, the French team showed a lot of resilience as they came back thanks to a brace from teenager Kylian Mbappe, only the second player after the great Pele to score two goals in their teens at the World Cup.

A stupendous goal from full-back Benjamin Pavard was another highlight as France were in the good side if a truly pulsating encounter. Naturally, the Les Bleus are riding high on confidence and will be entering this fixture in hopes of booking a place in the Semi-finals. Mbappe will lead what is an immensely talented French attack along with Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele at the front with Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante providing the passes.

But if anything, France should not be complacent against what is a defensively solid unit in Uruguay. The South American nation haven’t really put out a show but has been thoroughly efficient as they have only conceded one goal in their entire campaign. Entering the knockout stages with a clean sheet, Uruguay conceded one goal in what was Portugal’s only chance in their Round of 16 fixture. Both Godin and Gimenez have been rock solid in defence and are key to Uruguay’s semi-final hopes.

On the attack, Uruguay are a different side altogether. Probably equipped with the tournament’s best striking duo in Cavani and Suarez, Uruguay are a force going forward. The former is on a purple patch and seems to be scoring goals just for fun! Needless to say, the country who declares a holiday every time their national team play in the World Cup will be pinning all its hopes on him. Let’s now take a look at the full FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter-final predictions:

FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter-final predictions: Uruguay vs France

It is getting tougher and tougher for us to call these games as the tournament gets more intense. Teams who have qualified for the quarter-finals must believe that they can go all the way and that their fate depends on how they perform on match day. But considering both teams going forward, Uruguay’s defence will be tested like never before in the tournament when they go up against the French team. But how effective are they against Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane of France? We feel that is where France might just edge Uruguay in this fixture. According to popular betting site, Bet365, France are favourites in this FIFA World Cup 2018 quarter-final fixture with odds of 1:1 compared to 18:5 stacked against Uruguay.